Danny Rose is one of his country’s finest full-backs and plays for an English Premier League team which is regarded as one of the best in Europe, but such is the defender’s frustration at the lack of action against racist behavior by football’s authorities the Tottenham star has said he “can’t wait to see the back of football.”
Speaking to English journalists, the 28-year-old said: “How I programme myself is that I think I’ve got five or six more years left in football, and I just can’t wait to see the back of it.
“Seeing how things are done in the game at the minute, you just have to get on with it. There is so much politics in football. I can’t wait to see the back of it.”
The left-back and his England teammates Raheem Sterling and Callum Hudson-Odoi were subjected to racist abuse when on international duty in Montenegro last month.
READ: How Raheem Sterling took on the racists
UEFA has charged Montenegro with racist behavior, but European football’s governing body has been criticized in the past for not dealing with racist behavior severely enough.
In May 2018, for example, the Russian Football Association was fined $29,000 for racist chanting whilst Turkish club Besitkas was fined $39,400 for a pitch invasion after a cat made it onto the playing surface during a Champions League game in the same season.
Rose added: “When countries get fined what I probably spend on a night out in London what do you expect?”
READ: Juventus teenager racially abused
In 2012, the Tottenham star suffered racist abuse while playing for England Under-21s against Serbia; stones hit his head when he was taking throw-ins and during the warm-up, and every time he touched the ball during he match, he could hear monkey chants. “I was so angry and it was just so hard to concentrate,” he said at the time.
At full-time, with England’s Under-21s having secured a 2-0 aggregate win, missiles were thrown from the stands as ugly scenes ensued. Rose said he was “slapped twice” by Serbia players. After the final whistle, a frustrated Rose kicked the ball away and was subsequently sent off.
UEFA ordered Serbia to play its next Under-21 international behind closed doors and fined the Serbian football association 85,000 euros ($95,000).
Visit CNN.com/sport for more news, features and videos
Rose’s comments come days after Juventus teenager Moise Kean was subjected to racist abuse during a Serie A match in Cagliari.
Immediately after the match Kean’s teammate, Legonardo Bonucci, said the 19-year-old was partly responsible for the abuse because of his goal celebration late in the match, but on Wednesday the Italian defender said he was “misunderstood.”
